Diamonds Aren't the Only Ones
by Roman Empire
Summary: Our little carnivorous friend seems to have fallen for someone, but will it work? Perhaps Petrie can help out somehow, while succeeding in his own endeavors of amore. Here's to our new couples, assuming they can make it work! Cheers!
1. Do Not Dive Headfirst  May Cause Injury

**Well, this here is my first Land Before Time fic, and I just wanted you all to know that I'm going to stay as true to the TV series as I can with this concept. Hopefully you'll bear with me for some of the confusing parts. If you guys don't understand something, though, feel free to PM me with questions. Here's to enjoying a little Chomper/Ruby romance - it's mild, don't worry!**

**Without further ado, let's go back... to a land before time...**

Diamonds Aren't the Only Ones…

The sun was shining high in the sky over the Great Valley on the day our story begins. There were a few scattered clouds, but they only added to the perfection of the scene. Dinosaurs of all kinds were grazing on the plants that the valley provided. With no carnivorous dinosaurs around to threaten them, the herds were not particularly worried about anything. The sauropods were enjoying the leaves atop the trees, the triceratops were grazing on the ferns, and the hadrosaurs were eating the plants found underwater. All were with their own kind, save for a small group of seven young dinosaurs.

Possibly considering them an unusual herd of their own, these kids hardly spent time apart from one another. Littlefoot, a young brown apatosaur, was leading his fellows in a game of Kick the Seed, a game reminiscent of modern day soccer. Cera, an orange triceratops, was busy chasing close behind him. Ducky, a green saurolophus; and Spike, a green stegosaur, were trying to block the seed. Petrie, a small brown pterodactyl, was attempting to steal the seed away from Cera and Littlefoot, with a young pink oviraptor, Ruby, hot in pursuit. The greatest exception to the group was the one waiting to block the seed on the other team. This was a young blue tyrannosaur: Chomper. Having been hatched by the other members of the group, save for Ruby, he developed a soft spot for his herbivorous friends, consuming primarily insects. Ruby, being omnivorous, did not have as much trouble as Chomper did at fitting in. And it is these last two dinosaurs around which our story revolves…

"C'mon, Littlefoot, pass it here!" The tenacious three-horn readied herself as the long-neck flung the seed in her direction.

However, Petrie managed to get between the seed and its target, only to be knocked out of the air because of his small stature. He picked himself up quickly enough to avoid being trampled by his friends, carrying the seed with him to the goal. "Haha, me got you now!"

Just about to reach the end, the flier was blocked by Chomper, who kicked the seed far into the field.

"Not this time, Petrie!" Chomper taunted.

"Ohh… me get you _next _time!" Petrie called back towards his sharptoothed friend as he flew off towards the seed.

Chomper must have been stonger than he thought, because he kicked the seed clear to the other goal. As soon as Ducky and Spike saw it coming, they readied themselves. Spike angled himself back, and then –WHAM! He struck the seed so hard it went sailing clear into the Mysterious Beyond.

"Spike!" everyone shouted in unison, half playfully, half scolding. Being virtually incapable of speech, Spike merely lowered his head and let out a vague sigh.

"Well," said Littlefoot, "it's about time we started heading back home anyway. I don't know about you guys, but I sure am hungry." As if to prove his point, several stomachs rumbled in response to the thought of food.

"Yeah, I'm starved!" announced Chomper, who was met with the nervous gaze of his friends.

"Don't get any ideas, Toothy!" Cera criticized. Chomper hung his head in embarrassment. While generally accepted by the herd, Chomper occasionally received subtle accusations when he announced his hunger.

Fortunately for him, Ruby was there to watch out for him. "We know you're like that Cera, but don't be like that," she scolded. "Chomper would never eat any of us. He's too sweet and nice." She turned and smiled at the hungry carnivore. "Right, Chomper?"

Chomper felt a rush of gratitude, relief, and… something else. Something he had not felt before. "Uhh… Yeah. I'm nice!" He smiled to show his pleasing personality, but only ended up flashing the group his mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Uhh, Chomper?" Ruby looked at him. "That's not really helping. But we still know how sweet you are." Chomper lowered his smile, again getting that same strange feeling. _What was it?_ Chomper had a guess, but he was slightly worried about it. Littlefoot was smart. Maybe he could help…

"Yeah, well I'm heading back to see my dad and Tria. Catch you guys later!" Cera waved her tail at her friends and headed off. After a few more goodbye-for-nows, everyone headed back to their particular stomping grounds. Chomper was lost in thought nearly halfway to his cave before he suddenly remembered that he was going to get Littlefoot's help and ran to catch up with him.

"Hey! Hey, Littlefoot!" he shouted. Littlefoot turned around to see who was calling, finding Chomper running at full speed to get to his location.

"What is it, Chomper? What's the matter?" Littlefoot felt a sense of urgency from Chomper, considering the sprint he just ran. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… fine…" Chomper said between gasps. "I… need to… ask you… something… important!" he eventually choked out.

"Couldn't you just ask Ruby? You wouldn't have had to run after her." Littlefoot waited as his friend finished his labored breathing.

"No. It's… It's _about_ her." Chomper drew a circle in the dirt with his big toe, holding his hands behind his back. He didn't make eye contact with Littlefoot.

Littlefoot was curious, but his hunger overrode that. "Listen, Chomper. I'm still hungry, and I know you are…" Chomper's stomach mumbled in assent to this. "… so how about I go home to eat, you go home to eat, and I'll come by your cave afterwards. Sound good?"

"Yeah, I guess." Chomper was still anxious to confirm what that funny feeling in his chest had been when Ruby had complimented him, but he could wait until lunch was over. "See you later, Littlefoot."

"Bye, Chomper." Once again, both dinosaurs headed in opposite directions to eat.

As Chomper headed back to his cave, he kept thinking about that odd feeling he had been getting. _What is it? How come only Ruby made it show up?_ Despite his internal speculation, Chomper still had an idea on what it was and why Ruby made it show up. However, he was not really willing to admit it to himself.

He looked around and noticed some insects, allowing for a momentary lapse in his obsession. "Ooh, yum!" He consumed as many as he could rather quickly, but there was no real urgency. The bugs were plentiful even after filling himself to the brim. Chomper licked his lips, then proceeded to head to his cave to ponder his thoughts.

About an hour or so later, Littlefoot walked up to the carnivore's cave to see what the big fuss had been all about earlier. Chomper was getting ready to greet him when he noticed Petrie sitting on his back. The pair noticed Chomper's puzzled expression, so Petrie spoke up. "Oh, Petrie see Littlefoot walking all by self so Petrie fly down and follow. Littlefoot say he going to see you, so me decide to come along." Chomper shrugged and welcomed his friends into the cave.

"Now, what's the matter Chomper?" Littlefoot plopped down on the cave floor as Petrie climbed up his neck to rest on his head.

Chomper began pacing his cave, trying to ask his questions but not knowing how. "Where do I start?"

"Well," Littlefoot suggested, "you said it had to do with Ruby, right? What about her?"

"It… uhh… I don't know, really." Chomper lied. The confusion was becoming contagious, though. Littlefoot and Petrie looked at each other, both wanting to help Chomper amid his inner turmoil. "You see, when we were playing Kick the Seed today, I had this funny feeling."

"Funny feeling? Chomper sick?" Petrie interjected.

"No, not that kind of funny feeling." Chomper scratched his head, thoroughly annoyed with his inability to communicate with his friends for the time being.

"When exactly did you get that feeling?" Littlefoot asked, hoping to arrive at a conclusion – eventually.

"When Ruby said how nice and sweet I was." Just remembering her say it brought the funny feeling back. "And now I have that feeling again. What is it?"

Littlefoot looked up in thought, but he saw Petrie – who was still perched on his head – smiling knowingly. "Petrie, what are you smiling about?"

Petrie looked down at his confused friends and said in a sing-song little voice, "Me know what you don't, me know why Chomper feel so funny!" Petrie looked at Chomper, who happened to be sporting a slightly embarrassed look on his face. "And me think Chomper _already_ know why he get funny feeling!"

Chomper said, rather indignantly, "Well, what is it? Tell me!"

Littlefoot's curiosity had now been more than piqued, and he was listening to Petrie with rapt attention. "Me know and you don't!" Petrie sang again.

"Just tell us!" the ignorant duo shouted. This shut Petrie up in an instant.

"Okay, okay! Petrie tell you!" Petrie looked Chomper in the eye. "Chomper get funny feeling around only Ruby, right?"

"Yeah…"

"And Chomper only get it when Ruby say nice things about Chomper?"

"Yeah…"

"Does funny feeling feel like big bubble inside you?"

"Yeah! But what-" Chomper was just about to snap when Petrie finally stopped the riddles.

"Then Petrie think that Chomper in LOVE with Ruby!"

This left an awkward silence, Petrie smiling smugly at Chomper while Littlefoot considered this new theory. Strangely, Chomper sat there with a slightly dejected air about him. This went on for several minutes, until finally the silence was broken.

"I think he's right, Chomper." Littlefoot looked up at his embarrassed friend. "I mean, there's not a whole lot else it could be."

Chomper let out a deep sigh. "That's what I thought…"

"Well, what's wrong with that? Ruby's really nice – you guys would be great together!" Littlefoot didn't understand Chomper's stress.

"Yeah, but I don't think she likes me…" Chomper let out another sigh.

"Don't worry Chomper!" Petrie flew down from Littlefoot's head. "It no problem! Ruby not like you now –" Chomper frowned at this. " –er, not like you like _that_ now. But maybe Ruby change her mind! What if Chomper _make_ Ruby like him?"

Once again, both grounded dinosaurs were stuck looking at the flier. "What do you mean, Petrie?" said Littlefoot.

Petrie retook his favorite perch atop Littlefoot's skull. "Easy. You get food Ruby like. Make it look all pretty-like, then give Ruby some. Ruby and Chomper sit and talk, and before you know it," Petrie took to the air, "Ruby love Chomper, too!

"Actually, that's not a bad plan." Chomper looked at Littlefoot like he was crazy. "Seriously! You go find things like sweet bubbles and other stuff she likes, then set it all up. Petrie and I will go get her, and you two can sit under the night circle and talk."

Chomper considered this for a moment. "I guess… Wait, why under the night circle?"

"The bright circle is going down soon, and do you want to go to sleep with this feeling?"

"I don't think I could sleep!"

"Exactly."

"But guys, I can't love Ruby!" Chomper's nerves began to take over.

"Why not?" Petrie questioned.

"She's supposed to take care of me!" Chomper shouted.

"Well," Petrie elaborated, "if Ruby love Chomper, Ruby take better care of Chomper!"

"But… But…!" Chomper was trying to find an excuse as Littlefoot and Petrie just sat with smug looks on their faces.

Finally Chomper found something better to work with. "She's a fast-runner! And I'm a sharptooth! We can't love each other!"

"Nevermind that, Chomper! That terrible reason not to love Ruby!" Petrie chastised his lovestruck friend. "But if it make Chomper feel better, me will tell you a secret!"

Chomper, now only slightly curious, nodded in assent.

"That terrible reason not to love Ruby because, well… because Petrie love Ducky!" Petrie said this last part quickly, however he did not shrink back in embarrassment as Chomper had done earlier. "Ducky a swimmer and Petrie a flier, but me no care."

Chomper and Littlefoot just looked at one another. Then Littlefoot spoke. "To tell the truth, Petrie, I kinda thought you really liked Ducky."

Petrie merely smiled. "Yep, yep, yep!" This brightened the mood immensely, causing everyone to start laughing. Once they finished, though, Petrie spoke again. "But now me go do for Ducky what Petrie tell Chomper do for Ruby. Petrie get Ruby and Ducky and bring them to thundering falls at night. Then we get Ducky to like Petrie and Ruby to like Chomper. Me see you later!" With that, Petrie flew out of the cave and back into the heart of the Great Valley.

Littlefoot and Chomper stared after him. "I guess that's why he's afraid of everything else. He's got so much courage with Ducky." Littlefoot turned back to Chomper to give him one last bit of advice before heading home for the night. "He's right, though. If you love Ruby, show her. Get her some sweet bubbles and just sit and talk with her. It'll work out. Petrie will be there to help you. Good luck, Chomper!"

"Yeah… Thanks, Littlefoot." Chomper waved his friend goodbye as he set off for home. Chomper, however, had to get started on his plans. "Alright. Get some sweet bubbles, then sit and talk. I can do this. I WILL get Ruby to love me!" Chomper continued his motivational speeches to himself as he went out to search for his prospective female companion's favorite food.


	2. Yet to be Made

**Hey guys, I'm back, and I brought someone with me. Meet Ruby!**

**Ruby: Hi everyone! I can't write this on my own, because I'm just one of Roman Empire's hallucinations. But I do really hope you enjoy this story; he's been working pretty hard on it.**

**Me: Not true. This chapter only took me 5 hours to write.**

**Ruby: _True._ It took you 2 days to write chapter 1.**

**Me: Either way, I still am doing this only as a hobby.**

**Ruby: Well, perhaps you can use some of that other time to take care of our children.**

**Me: Honey, they are completely intangible and don't actually require physical care. How many times do we have to have that conversation?**

**Ruby: Too many times. You're the one who thought it was funny to name our kids Azure, Violet, and Scarlet!**

**Me: ...I'm only writing this because I'm writing our conversation. Are you gonna say anything else _relevant_ to our readers?**

**Ruby: Oops! People, please enjoy this because it is really enjoyable!**

**Me: Yes, well, Merry Christmas from the folks in the mind of Roman Empire!**

Petrie flew far and wide over the Great Valley, searching for his own particular object of affection. He glided slowly down to the streams where Ducky could usually be found, but there wasn't a trace of her. Thinking for a moment, Petrie landed on the shore and began to fish out some of the freshest seaweed he could find. He may as well take the advice he gave to Chomper; there was no sense in Ducky going without her favorite meal in front of Ruby enjoying hers.

After his fishing trip, Petrie flew over to a large bush and tore off the largest leaf he could find. He piled up the fruits – or veggies – of his labor upon this impromptu basket. He half-dragged, half-carried his burden to the open field beneath the thundering falls. Deciding that his chances with Ducky would be better off if he was prepared, Petrie organized the seaweed into a fancy spiral that he supposed she would like.

Organization of the dinner complete, the young flier resumed his search for the duck-billed female he shortly wished to call his own. His relentless search through the Valley yielded Ducky's location to be further downstream enjoying the relaxing waters there. "Well, here me go…!" was the last thing Petrie said to himself before swooping in for the "kill."

Meanwhile, Chomper was busy with his own endeavors. "Where were those sweet bubbles at?" Chomper inquired to no one in particular as he stumbled around just outside the Great Valley. He remembered that there were some vines that grew these small tree sweets somewhere nearby, but they were viciously guarded by a grumpy old club-tail. Chomper figured he'd climb that mountain when he got to it; first he had to _find_ the sweet bubbles!

As he continued his fruitless efforts, he allowed his mind to wander back to his beloved Ruby. _"Why do I feel this way about her? We've been friends for so long, how come I never felt it before? Do I really _love_ her? What if Petrie is wrong? Is it really okay for a sharptooth to be together with a fast runner?"_ Chomper's mind was buzzing with so many questions that he hadn't realized where he was going. Snapping out of his reverie, he turned his head to the right and saw nothing but the barren wasteland that was the true entrance to the Mysterious Beyond. Turning left, he saw the entirety of the Great Valley. This made him think more about all the others who lived there. They all stuck with their own kind, at least as far as love was concerned. True, Chomper and his friends were quite the odd mix of dinosaurs, but Petrie was the only other one who seemed to be attracted to another species entirely.

Chomper had quite the dilemma now. He was both lost _and_ confused. At least, he _thought_ he was lost. A certain smell reached his nose, one that he hadn't smelled in quite awhile. One that, despite his repulsion of it, he was drawn to it somehow. One that smelled just like… sweet bubbles! Chomper opened his eyes, which he didn't realize he had shut, and it all came back to him. He remembered that rock, and that tree over there! And that meant that right around the corner was the sweet bubble area!

"Yes! I found it! Hold on, Ruby! I'm coming!" Chomper ran as fast as his little legs would allow until he happened upon the sweet bubbles that he had been searching so long for. And sure enough…

"Hey kid!" shouted the miserly old club-tail. "What do you think you're doing here? This is my sweet bubble spot!" The old ankylosaur stared down Chomper, intending to rid his personal space of any visitors.

"Don't you remember me? You gave me and my friends some sweet bubbles the last time we were here for another friend's star day."

The club-tail stared vaguely at Chomper before it hit him. "Star day? Oh, that's right! You're one of the star day kids! Now I remember!" He took pride in remembering this only for a moment before returning to his obnoxious self. "What do you want this time? It better be important, kid."

Chomper put his hands behind his back in embarrassment and began drawing circles in the dirt with his big toe claw. "Well… it's for the same friend this time."

"Well, is it her star day? 'Cause it seems kinda early for it to be her star day again…" The club-tail didn't bother to hide his suspicion.

"I-It's not for her star day this time."

"What _is_ it for, then?"

Chomper thought for a moment before taking a deep sigh, deciding that his actual intentions would probably be his best bet for getting some sweet bubbles out of this conversation. "Sh-She… I… well…"

"Out with it kid!"

"They're her favorites, and I thought…" Chomper's voice trailed off into a mumble.

"Say what? Her favorites? What do I care?"

"I LIKE HER!" Chomper shouted, a little more emotionally than he had meant to.

The old club-tail merely watched him as he withdrew back into his initially bashful self. Suddenly, without warning, the elder began laughing. It was no light laughter, either. It was a full, deep, belly laugh that would probably scare off any living creature within earshot.

…Including Chomper! The abruptness of the action caused him to fall down on his butt during his recoil. He waited out the laughter, thinking that this club-tail was out of his mind. Soon however, the laughter died down to an acceptable level.

"It's not funny!" was Chomper's retaliation to what he thought was an incredibly insulting act.

"Oh yes it is, young one!" The old one was still laughing, but he was at least able to speak now. "But I'm not laughing at _you_! I'm laughing at _me_!" This sent him into another bout of that boisterous sound.

Chomper only sat there, more confused than before. When there was a break from the loud noise, Chomper interjected, "Why are you laughing at youself?"

After dying down once again, the unpredictable resident of the sweet bubble bushes replied. "I used to love someone once, quite a long time ago…" His laughter had died completely now. "She was a pretty thing, and I remember chasing her tail for a long, _long_ time." Chomper sat down and began to listen to this old one's story. "Every day I'd ask, and she'd always say no. She'd never say anything else to me, just 'no.' I reckon she never would have fallen for me if I hadn't done that…" he said, half to himself.

"Done what?"

The club-tail looked Chomper straight in the eye, which sent a chill down his spine. He really didn't know what he would expect. "Why, I brought her some sweet bubbles! They were always her favorites. Once I did, I got her to talk to me. Only a little, but she'd talk a bit more every day. Then out of nowhere, she realized that I was the one for her. We spent a lot of time together after that." He trailed off for a moment. "I still miss her once in awhile…"

After listening to a story that was much shorter than he had originally expected, Chomper decided to try his luck. "Umm… d-does that mean that I can take some sweet bubbles for Ruby?" He looked up hopefully.

"No." Chomper's heart broke at this one, cold syllable. How would he get Ruby to fall in love with him now? "Not until you tell me about this sweetheart o' yours!" Chomper looked up into the club-tail's smiling, fatherly face.

"Oh. Well, she uhh… she's really nice! She likes to help out me and my friends all the time! She's really smart! She's the best!"

"Sounds like she's perfect, young 'un! Too perfect, actually. What's the catch?"

Chomper hushed up at this point. He was unsure of whether or not he should tell the old club-tail. Looking over at the sweet bubbles, he felt that lying now would ruin any chance he had at all. "She's a… she's a…" The words caught in his throat.

"She's a what?"

"She's a fast runner…"

There was only silence in response to this. Chomper was utterly ashamed of himself. "Go ahead. Laugh."

"Why would I laugh?" The old club-tail leaned in and whispered to Chomper. "I fell in love with a three-horn."

Chomper was immobilized. He had always suspected Petrie of liking Ducky, but this was a complete stranger who lived too close for this to be pure coincidence. How many other residents of the Great Valley and its surrounding area were met with this same confusing dilemma?

The once grumpy club-tail lumbered off, smiling, knowing that he may have just saved a little one's love life. Chomper just stared as he left, still dumbfounded that he wasn't as alone as he originally thought. But once he came to accept this, he noticed the lush vines of sweet bubbles.

Grabbing the largest leaf he could find, Chomper scooped as many of the sweets as he could onto it. Deciding to err on the side of caution, he grabbed a second leaf and loaded it up as well. After that annoying task was completed, our sharptoothed little friend geared himself up for the arduous task ahead of him.

1 Time Lapse Sequence Later…

"Phew!" Chomper slumped down on the ground at the foot of the thundering falls. The two leaves covered in sweet bubbles sat behind him, miraculously having survived their trip across the Great Valley. Even more miraculously was the fact that Ruby had not seen the little blue carnivore dragging two leaves covered in sweet bubbles. But Chomper did not have time to dawdle – the bright circle was already getting low.

Just as he stood back up, Petrie flew in from some obscure location that is not particularly important to whomever is reading this. "Chomper! Chomper! Where you been, me been looking for you!"

"I've been off getting sweet bubbles for Ruby!"

"How many sweet bubbles make you take so long?" Petrie looked over at the enormous piles of said food. "Oh. That how many."

Chomper grabbed Petrie's head and turned it towards himself. "Focus, Petrie! When are Ruby and Ducky gonna get here?"

Petrie pulled away from Chomper frantically as he replied, "They come as soon as bright circle touch the Smoking Mountains!"

"What!" Chomper looked up at the skyline just as the bright circle reached those exact mountains. "Petrie, that means they're almost here!"

* * *

><p>"What do you think they want, Ruby?"<p>

"I don't know what you don't know, Ducky, but it should be quite a surprising surprise!"

"Oh, there they are, yep, yep, yep."

"Chomper! Petrie! Over here!"

"Uh-oh…"

"No worry, Chomper. It be okay…"


	3. Flames in a Vacuum

**Hello, my unbelievably patient fans! I have returned to bring you the third and final chapter of this particular fanfiction. When I first envisioned it, I thought it was a match made in heaven. 'How could no one have written this coupling yet?' Well, upon writing it, I discovered one thing: It's pretty difficult. There are only so many ways to write it _without_ being cliche. Did I care? Not at all. I went cliche, full speed ahead. I hope that the fruits of my labor are as sweet as the sweet bubbles that the youngsters... Oops! I don't want to spoil it!**

**Also, I must credit the plot twist to Story Writing Guy. He said it so perfectly that it actually wrote itself into the chapter without me realizing it. He was a huge support throughout this entire ordeal.**

**Either way, this is the last and shortest of my chapters. The hallucinogenic Ruby has since disappeared, so I've been left to write it alone. It won't be as good without her input, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.**

"Petrie, what do I dooo!" Chomper's heart was palpitating unreasonably fast. Despite his preparations, everything disappeared the instant he sighted Ruby. He looked around frantically, trying to get a hold on his emotions. He couldn't fit things together in his mind – nothing was making sense anymore. "Oh no, oh jeez, ohhh I can't _do_ this!"

"Chomper!" Petrie was sitting on Chomper's snout, mere inches from his eyes. Chomper seemed not to notice the flier perched atop his nose. "Sorry 'bout this, Chomper!" Petrie said just before he began pecking Chomper's noggin like a prehistoric jackhammer.

This got Chomper's attention rather quickly, eliciting several 'ouches' from him. He came back to reality and plucked Petrie off his head, holding him around the midsection. "Thanks, Petrie…" he said with less sarcasm than would be expected, rubbing the spot that Petrie had chosen to abuse.

"No mention it!" Petrie flew out of Chomper's claws and hovered in front of his face. "But what matter with Chomper?" Petrie had a look of concern to him. "Chomper feeling funny 'bout Ruby again?"

Chomper nodded his head as he looked over at Ruby and Ducky, who were only about 30 feet away now. Petrie followed his gaze, but he kept his calm. "It okay, Chomper, just no cry like hatchling, okay?" He locked his gaze with the stressed tyrannosaur until he received an affirmative response. Then he touched down.

By this time, though, Ruby and Ducky were upon them, having finished a discussion of their own. Unbeknownst to Petrie and Chomper, the girls had become fairly certain of what was going on in the past few moments. More importantly, Ruby was having a mirror reaction to Chomper's.

Chomper swallowed hard and forced himself to make eye contact with Ruby. She, however, was looking at the pile of fruit and seaweed, mentally confirming her and Ducky's suspicion. She herself was trying to hide how nervous she was. She looked towards Chomper, who by now had looked away. She looked at his snout, wondering if she could actually be with him, actually _kiss_ him…

"Hi Ducky! Hi Ruby!" Petrie said, drawing attention to himself and away from the introspective potential couple. He motioned toward the piles of greens and grapes for everyone to sit around, which they promptly did, Ducky sitting across from him and the awkward non-herbivores sat across one another. "How you two doing tonight?" he said, trying to ease up the situation.

"We are doing quite well, Petrie, yep, yep, yep!" Ducky responded happily. She shared Petrie's lack of concern – she had like him for quite some time, and it was obvious enough to everyone, herself included, that Petrie liked her as well. She had every confidence that things were going to go well before the bright circle made it back into the sky.

"…Yeah, what's good was good…" Ruby seemed to be attempting to express her usual redundancy, but it was lacking her usual philosophical air. Only Chomper missed this. Petrie and Ducky looked at each other, sharing nods that were so subtle it appeared to be a group twitch.

"Uh-oh!" Everyone looked at Petrie as he slapped his forehead. "Me forget! Petrie supposed to be helping Mama clean nest! Sorry, guys, but me have to go!" He hopped into the air and started flying off towards his home.

"Petrie, wait!" Now the eyes were moving between Ducky and Chomper, who had both shouted out at the same time. The two looked at one another with slight suspicion.

Ducky spoke up first. "I'll help you Petrie!" She turned back to Ruby. "Sorry, Ruby. You can still talk with Chomper, though, yep, yep, yep."

Petrie winked at her, but Chomper didn't notice as he began to protest. "…Petrie, you can't leave me alone with _her_!" he whispered through his teeth. Ruby, unfortunately, had been paying attention. She heard this, and she was _not_ happy about it.

"Chomper!" she shouted, jumping up in anger. She clearly had forgotten what Chomper was initially up to – she had blown her fuse completely. "How can you say that! What don't you like about me!" She stormed off into the forest, tears running from her eyes.

The remaining dinos merely stood there, mouths agape. Ducky was the first to actually let words come out, though. "Ch-chomper? I think you need to apologize to Ruby, yep, yep, yep." Apparently Chomper was not as quiet as he thought.

"B-b-but I didn't mean it like that!" Chomper tried to explain himself, but the couple would have none of it. Ducky trotted up to him, then leaned up to whisper something in his ear.

Chomper's expression grew increasingly baffled. After Ducky pulled away, his face sort of stuck like that for a moment. Then, surprisingly, his face broke into the smile of an epiphany.

"Really?"

"Yep, yep, yep! Now go!" Ducky pointed in the direction Ruby had run, and without another word, Chomper turned tail and ran. Ducky then returned her attention to Petrie. "Now Petrie, about your nest…"

"What? Oh, yeah! Come on, Ducky!" Petrie swooped down and she grabbed onto his ankles. Then the newly formed couple flew off to some obscure place that you – the reader – do not know about. The two of them lived happily ever after. But what of Chomper and Ruby? Let us see…

* * *

><p>Ruby was crying in her special place. She went there when she needed to be alone, and right now was definitely at the top of the list of "need to be alone" moments. She didn't hear as Chomper walked up behind her.<p>

"What are you gonna do, Ruby?" she asked herself. "You know you like him, but he doesn't like you. And even if he did, you're supposed to take care of him! How can you like him so much without it getting weird? Oh Ruby…" Chomper just sat and listened to her, wondering what he should say to her. It was clear that no matter what happened, it was going to be a little confusing.

"Why can't you just be friends with him? Ugh, somebody HELP ME!" Ruby looked up into the night circle, then down into the valley below. She knew that Petrie and Ducky were probably together right now as a successful couple. "Why does he hate me?" At this, fresh tears started at the corners of her eyes. Chomper, who was on the verge of crying himself, couldn't stand to watch this.

"I don't hate you, Ruby." Ruby jumped out of her scales and spun around, face to face with Chomper.

"Ho-how long were you standing there?" Ruby sniffed, trying to hold back her tears.

"Since you asked yourself 'What are you gonna do?'" Chomper stepped forward. "Well, what are you gonna do?"

Ruby looked down at him. "I-I don't know what you-"

"I don't hate you, Ruby, not at all. I actually kinda…" His voice trailed off into a mumble.

"Wh-what?" Ruby had stopped crying now, but the tears were still in her eyes.

The embarrassed little tyrannosaur mustered up every bit of courage he had left in his body. "Ruby, I-I don't hate you, because I _love_ you."

The air was still for a moment. Chomper waited for a response, but Ruby just stood there with her beak hanging off its hinge.

"Ruby?" Chomper was afraid that his confession had changed her mind.

Her eyes came back into focus. They were locked on Chomper's, but her nerves made her look away. She heard Chomper sigh, but she was still debating with herself. _Should I? I need to know for sure if we're supposed to like each other…_

As Ruby's eyes wandered, they came to rest on the branch of a tree. On that branch was a group of pointy leaves with little red sweet bubbles on it, but they didn't look too sweet. This was all the confirmation she needed. "Chomper…?" Chomper's head snapped up from his feet, where he had been staring. "Look." She pointed at the little plant in the tree.

Chomper did so, and his mouth – for _another_ time in one night – dropped open. "Are those…"

Ruby looked back at him, smiled, and nodded. "M'hmm. _Kissing greens._" Chomper had not fully recovered from the surprise when Ruby lunged forward and kissed him, beak to maw. She felt Chomper's body tense, but it soon died off as he leaned into the kiss as well.

After an excessively long moment, they broke apart. The two dinosaurs gazed into each other's eyes, not wanting to miss a thing. At the same time, however, they spoke. It didn't really matter, because they said the same thing. "I love you." They joined in a kiss once again, and they let the rest of the world melt away. They stopped worrying about the fact that they were of different species. They ignored the knowledge that it would change their friendship forever. But at this point, they didn't care.

They were in love, and that was good enough for them.

END

**This was another story brought to you by the mentally unstable Roman Empire. If you have reviews or comments, please send them. As usual, I will accept flames as well, because nothing prevents flames more than being a person who thinks that they are unbelievably funny. See later, same time, same place!**

**And I must credit the inventor of the term _kissing greens_: It was my mother. Credit is to be given where it is due.**


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